Feigning Cordiality

At nine that night, Lin Yun dragged his exhausted body through the front door.

After returning to the company that afternoon, his supervisor had reminded him that his recent absences were becoming more frequent. Then, when he returned to his office and switched on his work phone, he found more than a few missed calls from subordinates and clients.

It was a good thing he had turned off his phone and left it in the office. Otherwise, he would probably have been harassed by calls even while encountering an Aberrant Beast.

After keeping busy for half the day, he had once again left work under the cover of night and hurried home by tram.

The moment he entered the living room, he saw Xia Liang sitting on the sofa and playing with her phone.

Since she had not brought a change of clothes, she seemed to be wearing Lin Xiaolu's clothes. The pajamas that had looked somewhat loose on Lin Xiaolu now fitted her figure neatly.

The sound from the entryway also drew Xia Liang's attention toward Lin Yun. When she saw that a strange middle-aged man had entered, she froze for a moment, then quickly understood the situation. Rising to her feet, she smiled with an obedient, well-mannered posture.

"Hello, Uncle!"

Xia Liang's appearance naturally gave people impressions such as "quiet" and "well-behaved." Now that she had fully played up those traits, she was indeed exceedingly likable. She perfectly matched the stereotype of "someone else's good child" in the minds of countless parents.

She was putting on quite a convincing act.

Lin Yun loosened his tie and made his assessment inwardly.

Still, he had no right to criticize Xia Liang over this. At the moment, he was Lin Xiaolu's father, not Larkspur, so he needed to react as though he did not know Xia Liang at all.

"Oh, are you Lulu's classmate?"

He was not used to smiling, but he could at least raise the corners of his mouth and make his expression seem a little kinder. "Did you come to play with Lulu?"

"Yes, we were doing homework together just now!"

Without changing her expression as she spoke what was most likely a lie, Xia Liang said happily, "We finally finished!"

"It's so late. Aren't you going home?" Lin Yun remained perfectly composed and had no intention of exposing her.

"Xiao Lu asked me to stay and keep her company, so I took the liberty!" Xia Liang replied with impeccable courtesy.

"I see. Have you told your family?"

"I told them about the situation, but nothing has been decided yet. We're waiting for you to give your approval, Uncle."

"Heh, why wouldn't I agree? You young people should spend more time together..."

And so, the two of them began chatting warmly in the living room.

Using his identity as a parent, Lin Yun asked quite a few questions about her family and studies, hoping to learn something about her home situation. Yet Xia Liang's answers were equally flawless. While putting on a complete performance, she did not reveal a single piece of personal information.

Before long, a head with a single ponytail poked out from a nearby room.

Lin Xiaolu leaned against the doorway, secretly observing the situation out of curiosity about what the two people in the living room were talking about.

Her attempt at hiding, however, was rather amateurish and was quickly spotted by sharp-eyed Lin Yun. He did not indulge Lin Xiaolu and directly called out to her.

"Lulu, have you been treating your classmate properly tonight?"

"Mm..."

Caught red-handed, Lin Xiaolu had no choice but to step out from behind the door. She looked at Lin Yun, then at Xia Liang, who was snickering beside him, and reluctantly answered, "I ordered takeout."

"You're letting your classmate stay over tonight. Have you prepared somewhere for her to sleep?"

"Uh..."

Lin Xiaolu froze up again. She stammered for a long while without managing to say anything, before finally mumbling,

"Not yet."

What Lin Yun did not know was that Xia Liang had still been lingering in Lin Xiaolu's room until half an hour ago.

But because Xia Liang had been loafing around beside her while she did homework, occasionally bothering Lin Xiaolu, she had ultimately been kicked out of the room.

Never mind preparing a place for Xia Liang to sleep—Lin Xiaolu had wanted to throw her straight out of the house. But she could not bring herself to be that heartless, so in the end, she merely drove Xia Liang into the living room while staying alone in her room.

"Wait here. There are spare blankets in the master bedroom. I'll go look for them."

Fortunately, Lin Yun had never expected his daughter to be particularly thoughtful. The fact that she had even let someone else wear her clothes had already surprised him. Following the most ordinary rules of hospitality, he felt it necessary to prepare a place for Xia Liang to stay.

Returning to the master bedroom, he pulled several sets of unused bedding from the top shelf of the wardrobe. He chose one with a relatively suitable size and pattern, unfolded it and gave it a shake. After confirming that it was clean and usable, he folded it again and carried it to Lin Xiaolu's bedroom door.

"Leave these with you for now. I'll find a mattress too."

Handing the quilt in his arms to Lin Xiaolu, he gave her those instructions.

"...Thank you, but this is enough."

Lin Xiaolu held the quilt and lowered her head slightly. "This is my responsibility. I'll handle it."

"Do you know how to make up a floor bed?"

Long accustomed to this, Lin Yun did not feel slighted in the least. He merely raised an eyebrow and asked, "Or are you planning to share the bed with your classmate?"

"I know how. It's fine, go do what you need to do." Lin Xiaolu's attitude was firm.

Clearly, she did not want Lin Yun to continue overseeing Xia Liang's stay.

Having spent so many days with his daughter as Larkspur, Lin Yun had become somewhat able to guess what she was thinking.

Probably, no matter how much she disliked Xia Liang, Xia Liang was still someone connected to her identity as a magical girl. Lin Xiaolu had her own ideals and aspirations about being a magical girl, so she did not want matters related to that side of her life to intersect with her annoying father.

What a troublesome child. He wondered who she had taken after.

If he were Larkspur right now, she would probably be more than happy to accept his help.

He sighed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do. Lin Yun could only step back and raise both hands, showing that he had no intention of interfering further. "All right, then do it your way."

The strange, stiff atmosphere at the bedroom door also caught Xia Liang's attention.

She had already been secretly watching what was happening nearby. After witnessing the exchange between Lin Yun and Lin Xiaolu, she finally realized that the relationship between this father and daughter seemed excessively cold and rigid.

I should help smooth things over.

So she put away her phone and approached them while pretending to be clueless and still out of the loop.

"Ah, are Xiao Lu and Uncle preparing bedding for me? I'm so sorry, thank you both!"

That somewhat forced expression of thanks broke the frozen atmosphere, easing the conversation between the father and daughter that had been at an impasse.

Lin Xiaolu disliked Xia Liang, and she disliked her own father too. Yet when both of them were standing before her, she found herself unable to show too much rejection toward either one, so she could only gloomily agree, "Mm."

"Great! I just happen to be a little tired."

Clapping her hands somewhat dramatically, Xia Liang smiled and placed her hands against Lin Xiaolu's back, pushing her into the room. "Then let me help. We'll make the bed together."

Lin Yun remained where he was, watching the two of them walk step by step into the room. Lin Xiaolu looked back at him along the way, and he merely waved one hand and silently mouthed, "Good night."

Well, so be it. Hopefully, the young people would spend more time getting along.